Martin Luther King's Memory Inspires Teenage Dream

And now we continue our special series remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech, which will be 50 years old this summer.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.: I have a dream...

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN 1: As a kindergarten teacher in a Texas public school, my dream is for our country to begin to value our youngest members of society.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN 2: Because everyone deserves a beautiful destiny. It's a right bound by my heart and soul, written in blood by every human being with an admiral heart.

HEADLEE: Of course a lot has changed since the march on Washington. So we've been asking you, our listeners, to give us your own "I Have a Dream" speech, using the #MyDream on Twitter. They can be big wishes for the future of the world or small things for your own life. We've received tons of responses, both in our mailbox and on Twitter.

To get a quick rundown of what some people are saying, our colleagues at NPR's Code Switch have a little Storify put together on their page. You can head over to NPR.org/CodeSwitch to check that out. Today we hear from Aubrey Moran. She's a 14-year-old from Ocean Springs, Mississippi and she's about to enter her first year of high school. Yeah, you remember what that was like. Her dream is to make sure all other young people have the opportunity to dream.

(SOUNDBITE OF AUBREY MORAN)

AUBREY MORAN: I realize that not a lot of people have certain things that I do, so I kind of - that's what I based my speech on, was this - that people that really don't have things they should or deserve. Like education and stuff like that. Or people that aren't recognized all the way. They don't even have to be needy.

They can be that girl that no one knows her name, that always stands in the back lurking in the shadows. The girl that comes home to a shattered family, where they all lay in pieces at her small innocent feet. And no matter how much glue and tape she uses, the pieces won't stay, her family won't ever return to normal.

HEADLEE: Of course, Aubrey's not the only one with a dream. We want to hear from you about anything that inspires you. To join in, use the #MyDream on Twitter. You can send us a link to a blog post or even some video or audio of you telling us what your dream is. You can also reach us by e-mail, TellMeMore@NPR.org. Make sure to include your name and information and we might just get you on the air. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.